President Obama will address the U.S. Chamber of Commerce next month in a high-profile bid to develop a better relationship after their corrosive sparring last fall over the business group’s big spending to elect Republicans.

He will speak on Feb. 7 to members of the nation’s largest association of business and industry, said Jen Psaki, Mr. Obama’s deputy communications director.

“The president will discuss his commitment to growing the economy and making America more competitive and the importance of working together to create jobs,” Ms. Psaki said.

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Mr. Obama’s outreach to the group is part of a strategy for the second half of his term of emphasizing business-friendly policies to encourage job growth, free trade and international competitiveness after two years in which the administration’s push to overhaul the health insurance and financial regulatory systems alienated many in the business community.

If Obama wasn’t sufficiently business-friendly over the last two years, I shudder to think what the next two will be like…

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called for “a fundamental realignment” of state government on Wednesday, saying New York needs to rethink the services it provides and face up to its overspending problem before it is too late.

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The new governor mentioned the word “tax” or “taxes” 21 times, mostly to denounce them and promise to lower them. “What made New York the Empire State was not a large government complex,” he said. “It was a vibrant private sector that was creating great jobs in the state of New York.”

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In addition to freezing the salaries of most state workers, Mr. Cuomo would reduce spending on Medicaid and limit local property tax increases statewide.

He’s like Obama’s Mini-Me or something. The Democrats have gotten so good at mimicking Republicans that we don’t even need Republicans any more. Or Democrats.